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(No Model.)

' T. P. BUTTERPIELD.

CARPET .STRE'IGHBRl No. 303,619. Patented Aug. 19, 1884.

N. PUERS murmholraplm. wuhngxon. D, c.

UNrrni)V STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.V

TYRANNUS IAUL BUTTERFIELD, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

CARPET-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,619, dated August 19, 1884.

4 Application lcd May 1, 1884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, TYRANNUs PAUL BUT- TERFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion'and State of Indiana, have invented anew and useful Carpet-Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in carpet stretchers in which a toothed rockshaft to engage the carpet is attached to a cross-head on the end of a sliding bar, and the sliding bar is forced forward by a lever with double pawls, which work in a rack-bar on the upper face of the sliding bar; and the objects of my invention are to provide, first, a clutch or gripper that can readily and firmly be fixed into the carpet; second, without special adjustment, to afford aineans of holding the stretched carpet while tacking it down; third, to economize 'time by making a device that will stretch the carpet during both front and back strokes of the lever. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the 'accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of my device with one ofthe sides of the frame broken away to show the arrangement of the lever and pawls back of it. In this view the sliding bar is drawn partially out. Fig. 2 is a top View of my device,showing all of the parts in position, the same as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the rock-shaft and cross-head and a portion of the sliding bar C. Fig. ff is a side view of my device with one of the sides supporting the lever removed to show the inside mechanism. This view shows the manner in which the pawls are disengaged from the rackbar by pressing the lever well back, thus raising the pawls and allowing the sliding bar to be pushed in, as shown in the figure. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View through the line Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the bottom or base, to which the sides B `B are fastened. The sides B B are the guide-bars for the sliding plate G. They have V-shaped longitudinal grooves on their inside lower edges, to receive the correspondingshaped edges of the sliding bar C, as shown in the sectional view in Fig. 5. The sides B B serve also as bearings for the ends of the pin d, on which the hand-lever D is fulcrumed. The sides B B also serve as bearings for the G is connected.

The lever D, above referred to, has the pawl E hinged to it at a suitable point on the lever above the fulcrum, and the pawl F at a suitable point on the lever below the fulcrum. These pawls both extend forward and bothv engage in the notches in the rack-bar c. The rack-bar o runs longitudinally along the upper central face of the sliding bar C, and is fastened solidly in position.

By the arrangement of the pawls it is seen that when the lever' D is forced forward the pawl E will press forward on the rack-bar c, and when the lever is forced backward the pawl F will exert a forward pressure, so that, no matter in what direction the lever is moved, one of the pawls will be always pushing forw ard on the rack-bar and forcing out the slidebar C. On the outer endv of the slide-bar C is a cross-head, H, into which the end of the slideplate is mortised and fastened by the bolt lz, with a wing-nut, or a nut with milled sides, that can be readily unscrewed and the crosshead removed for convenience in transportation. Immediately in front of the cross-head and running parallel with it is the rock-shaft I, to which the teeth or claws i, to engage the carpet, are attached. This rock-shaft is fastened to the cross-head by means of the links J J, connecting the adjacent ends of the parts H I, and allowing the shaft I, when not supported, to drop, as shown in Fig. 3, into a position specially favorable for grasping the carpet. Near the middle of the rock-shaft is the handle -or lever L, rigidly fastened to the shaft. Vhen the end of this lever is pressed down -as near as possible against the slide-bar C, the attached shaft I is raised and rotated and made to assume the position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and in dotted line in Fig. 3,wl1ich,when the claws are once engaged in the carpet, is the position most favorable for holding the latter during the operation of stretching. NVhen the lever L is pressed down, it is held in that popin g, to which, by means of the rodg, the dog.

sition by the hook M, which hook is hinged to roo A, substantially as described, and as and for the purposes specified.

In a carpetstretcher, the rock-shaft I, fastened to the cross-head H by means of the end links, J, and provided on its under side with a row of teeth or claws, z, to engage inthe carpet, substantially as described and specified.

3. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination of the sliding bar C, cross-head H, rock-shaft I, links J, handle L, and hook or bail M, substantially as set forth.

4. In a carpet-stretcher, the-base A, sides B B, level' D,with its upper pawl, E, and lower pawl, F, sliding bar C, sliding in the V- shaped grooves in the sides B B, raclcbar c on the sliding bar C, cross-head H, rock-shaft I. joined to the crossvhead by the end links, J, the teeth or claws t' on the under side of the rock-shaft I, the handle or lever L, for operating and fastening the rock-shaft, the hook M, I hinged to the sliding bar C, the dog G, to hold f thc body of the machine from sliding backl ward, and the knee-cushions a on the rear end l of the base A, all combined substantially as described, to operate as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 1n y hand in the presence of two witnesses.

'l'YRANNUS PAUL lVl'TERlllEllD.

the sliding` bar C and is slipped over the end of the lever L.

In the operation of stretching the carpet the body of the machine is held from slipping backward by the dog G, which is forced into the door close to the wall, and connected with the body of the structure by the rod g, whose hooked end is slipped over the pin g.

The use of a dog in this manner, I am aware, is old, and therefore I do not wish to claim it broadly. The rear end or' the base or bottom A, alter it leaves the sides B B, is broadened to receive the cushion a for the knees of the operaton Then the cross-head and rockshait are out, and it is desired to bring them closer to the body of the machine, the handlever D is forced backward as far as it will go, andthe pawls E and F,`coming against the bottom edge of the recesses in which they are hinged, are raised out of contact with the rackbar, as shown in Fig. 3, leaving the sliding bar and attached mechanism free to be moved in.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Iatent, is-

l. The sliding ratchet-bar C, lever D, and pawls E and F, in combination with the body A B B, said body being anchored by the dog Attest:

FRANK Brum/r, Crus. A. Nicotra.

ing for the lever in operating' the ratchct-bar, and also in such a manner as to allow the car- G in such a manner as to afford a fixed beary! pet in stretching to slide freely under the base l 

